BIRDING IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MAY 2006
This tour is designed for people who have visited Papua New Guinea before and wish for more of this truly unique experience. Alternatively it should also appeal to the adventurous newcomer to PNG who wants to explore some of the more remote and less well known areas of this incredible country.
On arrival in Port Moresby we fly to the beautiful high altitude village of Myola, 2000 metres up in the mountainous spine of the country. In this ornithologically unknown area we may find such gems as Shovel-billed Kingfisher, Forbes' Forest-Rail, New Guinea Logrunner, Spotted Jewel-babbler, Rufous Woodcock, Mountain Nightjar, Mountain Owlet-nightjar, Eastern Alpine Mannikin and a terrific array of other montane species.
Next we visit Varirata National Park where we should see several birds rarely seen elsewhere including Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher, Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler, Painted Quail-thrush, Dwarf Whistler, Eastern Riflebird and Magnificent Bird of Paradise as well as many more mid-montane species. We will also explore the lagoons and mangroves around Hisiu and Aroa, where we hope to encounter the endemic Mangrove Fantail, White-bellied Whistler and Silver-eared Honeyeater along with several more widely distributed mangrove specialists such as Mangrove Robin, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Mangrove Gerygone and Broad-billed Flycatcher.
We then visit Fergusson Island in the D'Entrecasteaux group; this is where we are really pioneering, as very few birders have seen the special birds of this area, and we should see Goldie's Bird of Paradise and the weird Curl-crested Manucode. In addition, every bird observation we make will be new and valuable to the cause of conservation and ornithology.
We then fly to West New Britain where we will again explore some rarely visited areas. Here we expect to see a wide range of Fruit-Doves and Imperial Pigeons, the massive Violaceous Coucal, Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Black-headed Paradise-Kingfisher, White-mantled Kingfisher, the elegant Pied Cuckoo-Dove and many other endemic species. We wil also visit some of the islands in Kimbe Bay where we hope to see Nicobar Pigeon, Grey Imperial Pigeon, Mackinlay's Cuckoo-Dove, Beach Kingfisher, Island Monarch and Sclater's Myzomela.
New Ireland is our next destination and here we should see the outrageous Paradise Drongo, White-naped Lory, New Ireland Myzomela and both Forbes' and Hunstein's Mannikins among many other rare and sought after species..
Manus Island is our next destination where our target species is the well named Superb Pitta, a very rare bird endemic to this one island. Here we also expect to see Admiralty Pied Monarch, the endearing Meek's Pygmy-Parrot, Manus Boobook, Manus Rufous Fantail and Black-headed White-eye among many other wonderful birds.
Our final destination is the mountainous Huon peninsula which holds several species unique to this area, including Emperor Bird of Paradise, Huon Astrapia, Wahne's Parotia, Huon Bowerbird and Spangled Honeyeater among many other marvellous birds of this practically unexplored area.
ITINERARY
Day 1 Depart London Heathrow.
Day 2 In flight.
Day 3 Arrive in Port Moresby and transfer to charter flight to Myola.
Days 4 and 5 Myola, montane forest birding.
Day 6 Charter flight to Port Moresby, afternoon at Lea Lea beach and savanna.
Day 7 Fly to Fergusson Island.
Days 8 and 9 Birding Fergusson Island.
Day 10 Take boat to Alotau, fly to Port Moresby, afternoon at Varirata National
Park, lower montane forest birding.
Day 11 Varirata National Park.
Day 12 Hiritano Highway, Vanapa village, Aroa and Hisiu mangroves.
Day 13 Morning at Varirata National Park, afternoon flight to Hoskins,West New
Britain.
Day 14 Visit Kimbe and Restorf Islands, afternoon at Kilu Ridge.
Day 15 Visit Pokili Wildlife Management Area.
Day 16 Early morning at Kulu River then fly to Kavieng, New Ireland and by road
to Dalom village.
Days 17 and 18 Birding the Limbin mountain road.
Day 19 By road to Kavieng, then boat trip to outer islands.
Day 20 Morning near Kavieng, afternoon flight to Manus Island, remainder of day
birding near Rossun village.
Day 21 Rossun and Lorengau areas.
Day 22 Boat trip to Tong Island, weather permitting.
Day 23 Rossun and Lorengau areas.
Day 24 Momote area in the morning for waders and seabirds then fly to Port
Moresby in the afternoon.
Day 25 Fly to Lae and then fly to Wasu on the Huon Peninsula; by road to Satop
village.
Days 26 and 27 Birding the mountains around Satop village.
Day 28 By road to Wasu and then fly to Lae and on to Port Moresby.
Day 29 Local birding around Port Moresby, then Singapore flight in the afternoon.
Day 30 Arrive London Heathrow.
Tour Price : April 30 to May 29 £6100
Single room supplement £800
The cost includes all travel, accommodation, meals, excursions, leader services, local guides and landowner fees. Individual requirements for passports, visas, travel insurance, drinks and items of a purely personal nature are not included.
Target species for the Papua New Guinea mainland elements of the tour include :
Dwarf Cassowary Wattled Brush-turkey
New Guinea Harpy-Eagle Forbes' Forest-Rail
Spotless Crake Ornate Fruit-Dove
Dwarf Fruit-Dove Rufescent Imperial-Pigeon
Barred Owlet-nightjar Mountain Owlet-nightjar
Mountain Nightjar Common Paradise-Kingfisher
Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher Hook-billed Kingfisher
Shovel-billed Kingfisher New Guinea Logrunner
Blue Jewel-babbler Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler
Spotted Jewel-babbler Painted Quail-thrush
Hooded Pitta Blue-breasted Pitta
Lesser Melampitta Papuan King-Parrot
Eastern Black-capped Lory Buff-faced Pygmy-Parrot
Papuan Treecreeper Garnet Robin
Lesser Ground-Robin Tit Berrypecker
Black-breasted Boatbill Mottled Whistler
Wattled Ploughbill Spotted Berrypecker
Torrent Flycatcher Torrent Lark
Red-collared Myzomela Black-throated Honeyeater
Spangled Honeyeater Eastern Alpine Mannikin
Fawn-breasted Bowerbird Huon Bowerbird
Macgregor's Bowerbird Loria's Bird of Paradise
Raggiana Bird of Paradise Brown Sicklebill
Stephanie's Astrapia Huon Astrapia
Wahne's Parotia Lawes' Parotia
Eastern Riflebird Magnificent Bird of Paradise
King Bird of Paradise Glossy-mantled Manucode
Crinkle-collared Manucode Trumpet Manucode
Target species for the New Guinea Islands elements of the tour include :
Spotted Whistling Duck New Britain Rail
Melanesian Scrubfowl Mackinlay's Cuckoo-Dove
Pied Cuckoo-Dove Nicobar Pigeon
Red-knobbed Fruit-Dove Yellow-bibbed Fruit-Dove
Finsch's Imperial Pigeon Black Imperial Pigeon
Grey Imperial Pigeon Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon
Yellow-tinted Imperial Pigeon Song Parrot
Meek's Pygmy-Parrot Green Pygmy-Parrot
White-naped Lory Eastern Black-capped Lory
Blue-eyed Cockatoo Bismarcks Hanging Parrot
Violaceous Coucal White-necked Coucal
Manus Boobook New Britain Boobook
Black-headed Paradise-Kingfisher White-mantled Kingfisher
Bismarck Kingfisher Superb Pitta
Bismarck Pied Monarch Admiralty Pied Monarch
Island Monarch Golden Monarch
Lesser Shining Flycatcher Rufous-faced Thicket-Warbler
Manus Rufous Fantail New Ireland Drongo
Ashy Myzomela Red Myzomela
New Britain Red-headed Honeyeater New Ireland Myzomela
Bismarck Black Myzomela Sclater's Myzomela
New Britain Friarbird Manus Friarbird
Black-headed White-eye Bismarck Flowerpecker
Hunstein's Mannikin New Ireland Mannikin
Buff-bellied Mannikin Long-tailed Myna
White-backed Woodswallow Curl-crested Manucode
Goldie's Bird of Paradise Island Crow
Recommended Reading :
Beehler, B., Pratt, T. and Zimmerman, D. Birds of New Guinea. 1986.
Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0 691 02394 8
An excellent field guide covering all the birds of mainland New Guinea; the recommended field guide for the tour.
Coates, B. J. The Birds of Papua New Guinea.
Volume 1 : Non-passerines. 1985. Volume 2 : Passerines 1990.
Dove Publications, Alderley, Queensland, Australia. ISBN 0 9590257 2 3 (set)
Two magnificent photographic guides to the birds of Papua New Guinea including the Bismarck Archipelago and the Admiralty Islands. Very bulky but excellent reference books before and after the tour.
Coates, B. J. Birds of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. 2001.
A pocket-sized photographic guide and an excellent adjunct to the recommended field guide and very useful for this particular tour.
Note : No camping is involved on this tour and although the accommodations at Myola, Dalom and Satop are fairly basic they are very comfortable and allow access to areas rarely visited by birders. This also accords with Sicklebill Safaris' policy of supporting minimum impact, sustainable tourism ventures where possible. This helps to preserve and maintain these unique sites by providing the local people with a regular income from the intact forest.
Tours operated by Sicklebill Safaris Ltd. are administered through Scuba Safaris, P.O. Box 8, Edenbridge, Kent, UK. TN8 7ZS under ATOL 4002